Vehicle-top.



No. 882,914. PATENTED MAR. 24,1908.- H. SGHEPER VEHICLE TOP.

LPPLIOATIOR FILED 00121.1901.

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, w ttorney In mentor No. 882,914." PATENTED MAR. 24, 1908. B. H. SOHEPER.

' VEHICLE TOP.

APPLICATION FILBD'OOT. 7, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Jim (22% UNITED STATES r rnnr OFFICE.

BERNARD H. SCHEPER, OF LEXINGTON PIKE, KENTQN COUNTY, KENTUCKY.

VEHICLE-TOP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD H. Scunriin, a citizen of the United States, residing on Lexington Pike,-Kenton county, Kentucky,

removable top adapted for carrying in the vehicle to e used as occasion demands.

My invention consists in a series of bows adapted to fold down upon their support, andto also told together with the support, together with the details ol construction and arrangement ot parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

in the'drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my invention open and about to be applied to the seat of the vehicle, the covering being illustrated by dotted lines only, in order to better disclose the construction of the bows and other details. liig. 2 is a section on a line corres u'mding to .1 ol Fig. 1 illustrating the catch used to secure the top otthe seat of'a vehicle, together with the socket adapted for receiving this catch, the dotted line indicating the position which the spring may assume. Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the catch in position in the socket. Fig. i is a section on the line corresponding top 01'' Fig. 1, better illustrating the mountin oi the main brace as well as the details or the side-curtain roller. Fig. is it detail perspective view of the holder for the side-curtain roller. Fig. his a detail ol' the joint in one of the braces. Fig. 7 is a icrspective view illustrating my invention in folded position. Figs. andu are detail views illustrating the constructimi ot the joints in the bows, as well as the manner of securing the cover to the bows. Fig. id is a. section on the line corresponding to 2 of Fig. 1 illustrating the construction of the bacle curtain roller. Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the (Ullsl'llltllull of one of, the side-curtain rollers. Fig. 12 is a perspective view illustrating the manner ol attaching the side and. rear curtains, part of the covering being illustrated as broken away. Fig. 13 it a detail perspective view illustrating the manner of mounting and guiding the side-curtains. Fig. 14 is a detail perspective view of one ot the loops adapted tor fastening the back-curtain.

As I prefer to embody iny invention, sup- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 7, 1907. Serial No. 396,198.

Patented March 24, 1808.

' ports 1 are provided with catches 2 and 3 adapted to engage within sockets 4 and 5 011 the seat of the. vehicle. Eachot' these catches consists in a spring (5 secured to :1 lug 7, preferably by means of a rivet S, and. bearing against the lower member of the support it to maintain. it in position, the lug 7 being rigidly secured. to this lower member of the :support- 1. The surface of this lug 7 adjacent to the spring 6 is inclined away from the spring so that a recess is provided into which the spring may be compressed, allowing the lug and the spring to enter the socket and bring the oll'set part 9 ol the spring below the lower edge of the socket. This oil'set part 9 will then ei'igage with the lower edge of the socket to prevent the removal oi the catch t-liOItllUiii, while the removal may be conveniently ell'ected by drawing the springs (5 on the catches 2 am; 3 toward each other by means of the thumb and linger.

livoted to the trout part of the supports 1 on pins 10 are the bows 1.1, 12, 13 and let, which bows are provided with tolding braces 15, 16 and 17 on one side. and 15. 16 and 17 on the other side, these braces being c011 structcd with the toggle-joints .18. as is customary in the construction oi such braces for vehicle tops. Similar, but longer. main braces 19 and it), having toggle joints 18 are pivoted to the bow 1 1 and to orackets EU and 20 secured on the supports 1 near their rear ends. These brackets are constru ted with the collars .31 concentric with the pivotal connections oi the braces 19 and 15V, and the collars arc'adaplcd to receive and support the bow H when is folded down, suitable clips 22 being provided for engagement withthe collars 21. it will be understood that the braces with their toggle-joints are for the purpose of allowing the bows to bc'rcadily l'oldcd together and to be folded down upon ihcsupporl's, while at ihesame time l'orming secure m ans of maintaining the hows in unloldcd position ready for use. To l'urlher secure the bows against l'orward m'tfvcmcnt when in position for use, [provide the straps 2!) attached to the bow 1-1 and to the supports 1 near the rear ends of said supports. Pretwhere they receive the brackets 20, aswell as where they receive the straps 23.

llach one of the bows provided at each side near the top with a. ioggh joint 2-1 somewhat similar to the toggle-joints 18 on the braces, so that induldition. to folding the era-bly the supports 1 are given upward bends the stud 30 on t bows together and down upon the support,

the side. members of the bows, together with the supports, may be folded inward toward the top transverse members of the bows, as

is best illustrated in Fig. 7 -of' the drawings.

Preferably the bows are constructed of tubes to secure desirablelightness, the side members of the bows being. flattened, and tapered toward their pivotal connection with the- 0 supports 1, as 1s usual in the construction of vehicle tops.

The bow 14 has the side-curtain rollers 25 pivoted to the inner sides of its side members, the shafts 26 of the side-curtain rollers being provided with the offsets 27 and eyes 28 for this purpose. The lower ends of the shafts 26 are provided with eyes 29 adapted to engage with studs 30 on the rearward parts of the supports 1, the offset portions 27 of the shafts 26 being preferably made resilient so that a slight spring of the shafts is necessary in order to engage the eyes 29 with the stud 30, thus insuring their being maintained in position. Since the upper end of the shaft 26 is pivoted on the inside of the bow 14, and the shaft is necessarily provided with the offset 27 to allow suflicient room for the sidecurtain roller 25 the shaft 26 must be inclined outward to the side member of the how 14 in order to allow theside-curtain roller 25 to enter the holder 52. This inclination alsov facilitates the engagement of the eye 29 with e outside of the support 1 at the rear, allowing the shaft 26 and the side-curtain roller 25 supported thereon to swing from the holder 52 toward thestud 30, substantially through a single plane, avoiding twisting and consequent strain on the piyoted connection at the eye 28. When the side-curtain roller is thus adjusted, as is best illustrated in Fig. 12 of the drawings, the

side-curtain 31 may be pulled forward, un-

I winding from the roller a ainst the action of the spiral spring 32 whic is secured inside I the roller, as is best illustrated in Fig. 11 of the drawings. As a support for the sidecurtain 31 while being drawn forward, I proyide a cord 33 secured to the bow 14 at the rear by stud 34, and to the bow 11 at the 0 front by means of stud 34, and I provide the side-curtain at its forward upper corner with a .rin 35, through which the cord 33 passes. W en the curtain 31 is pulled completely forward, this ring may be enga ed with the stud 34 to hold the curtain in orwardly stretched position.

The cover 36 is stretched overthe bows and. secured to them by means of strips 37 passing around the bows and stitched to the I cover, as is best illustrated 111 F1gs. 8 and 9 of the drawings where theseams of stitching are represented at 38. This cover 36 is provided with flaps 39 hanging down past the togglefoints 24 of the bows and adapted to lap over 55 the side-curtains 31 when they have been drawn forward. These flaps 39 are provided with suitable hooks 40, and the side-curtains are provided with suitable eyes 41 at corresponding distances apart, wich may be engaged to hold up the'side-curtain. These side-curtains 31 may be further secured by means of buttoning them over studs or knobs '42 on the forward bow 11 and over similar studs or knobs 43 on the lower mem-.

bers of the supports 1.

Mounted on the bow 14 above the togglejoints 24 are the clips 44, in which are secured against rotation the shaft 45 of the back- ;curtain roller 46 which is rotatably mounted on said shaft.

A suitable ratchet, similar to that used on shade rollers, is provided at one end of the roller 46, and the s iral spring 48 is secured at one end to the r o er 46, and at the other end to the shaft 45, the ratchet being placed in such relative. position that it tends to prevent the rotation of the roller 46, due to the action of the spiral spring 48. The back-curtain 49 is secured on the roller 46,'

so that when it is pulled down, it resists the action of the s ring 48 and will be drawn quickly u war when the ratchet 47 is re leased. s will be understood, this ratchet allows the curtain to "be adjusted up or downas may be found convenient. The rear of theflap 39 laps over the roller 46, and the back-curtain 49. When this back-curtain 49 has been drawn completely down, it may be secured at its sides by means of loops 50, I

which may be looped over buttons 51 on the side-curtains adjacent to the rollers 25, thus insuing a completely closed top when desire In folding the top after the back-curtain and side-curtains have been rolled onto their rollers, the side-curtain rollers 25 may be swung forward and secured in the holders 52,

which consist in fiat springs bent to embrace the rollers with their curtains rolled upon them, these springs being secured by bein space and may be stored in the vehicle ready for use at any time. It is thus especially adapted for use with runabouts .and other vehicles which are furnished without tops, but upon which a top is found desirable at times.

As illustrated in the drawings, the sockets 4 and 5 are secured to the seat by means of plates 54 and. 55, which are screwed to the sides and bottom of the seat. Where the forms of the seats on the vehicles vary, these plates may vary accordingly, so that it will e understood that sockets L and 5 may be 'nections between said bows, braces adapted to hold said bows apart, toggle-joints in said braces, supports for said bows, braces adapted to hold said bows in raised position, and toggle-joints in said braces whereby said bows may be folded down on said supports, and said supports and the side members of said bows may be. folded toward the top transverse members of said bows, substan tially as and for purposes specified.

2. In a vehicle top, bows comprising side members and top transverse members pivoted together, supports for said bows, a

coversupported by said bows, side-curtain rollers adjustably" mounted on one of said bows, studs on said supports adapted to hold said side-curtain rollers in position for use, side-curtains mountedon said side-curtain rollers, springs adapted to roll the sid e-curtains on the side-curtain rollers, holders adapted to hold said side-curtain rollers adjacent said bow, guides for said side-curtains, studs and rings adapted to hold said sidezcurtains in stretched position, a backcurtain roller mounted on one of said bows parallel to the top transverse member of said bow, a back-curtain mounted on said backcurtain roller, a spring in jsaid'back-curtain roller adapted to roll the back-curtain on the back-curtain roller, loops whereby said backcurtain may be lapped over said side-curtain roller and attached to said side-curtains, fia s on said cover ada ted to lap over the si e-curtains and the back-curtain, means whereby said vehicle top may be, conveniently attached to and detached from a vehiele, land whereby said curtains may be conveniently adjusted to allow said. bows to be folded down on said su ports, and said side members and supports folded inward toward the top transverse members of said bows, substantially as andfor the purposes specified.

3; In a' vehicle top, bows comprising side members and top transverse members pivoted together, supports for said bows, concentric pivotal connections between said supports and said bows whereby said bows may be folded down on said supports and the side members of the bows and said supports may be folded inward toward the top transverse members of said bows, a side-curtain roller, a shaft for said side-curtain roller, a

pivotal connection between said shaft and one of said bows, a stud on one of said ports, aneye on said shaft adapted to engage -with said stud to hold said side-curtain sup- roller in position for use, and a holder 011 one of sald bows adapted to hold said side-curtain roller out of position for use, said shaft being so inclined that said side-curtain roller may swing from said holder towards said stud to allow the engagement of the shaft with the stud,

substantiallyin a single plane. I

BERNARD H. SOHEPER.

Witnesses JAMEs N. RAMSEY, CLARENCE Pninnw. 

